I just stumbled upon this fascinating article about Aerogel (also called ‘Frozen Smoke’) on the Times Online UK and had to share my excitement.

This stuff will really change the world.
 

Wikipedia says Aerogel is a low-density solid state material derived from gel in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with gas. The result is an extremely low density solid with several remarkable properties, most notably its effectiveness as an insulator.

[youtube 5PfelqRpOQk nolink]

Check out the video to get a better idea about how Aerogel looks and feels; I’m really curious about this stuff. It looks really light and its structure shows why they name it ‘frozen smoke’.

Check out just a few uses as mentioned in the Times Online article:

Aerogel is also being tested for future bombproof housing and armour for military vehicles. In the laboratory, a metal plate coated in 6mm of aerogel was left almost unscathed by a direct dynamite blast.It also has green credentials. Aerogel is described by scientists as the “ultimate sponge”, with millions of tiny pores on its surface making it ideal for absorbing pollutants in water.

Kanatzidis has created a new version of aerogel designed to mop up lead and mercury from water. Other versions are designed to absorb oil spills.